Garbage incinerator



June 18, 1968 E. v. PANTOJA GARBAGE INCINERATOF.

6 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 6, 1967 I NVENTOR ERNEST vLLARREAL. 'PAN-roam Aevs.

J'une 18, 1968 Filed Jan. 6, 1967 E. V. PANTOJA GARBAGE INCINEHATOB.

l l n I n v I 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 ERNEST@ viLLARREAL. wurrom INVENTOR Aun.

June 18, 1968 Filed Jan. 6,

E. v. PANToJA y3,388,679

GARBAGE INC INERATOR 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 1s, 196s E. v. PANTOJA 3,388,679

GARBAGE INC I NERATOR Filed Jan. '3, 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 5/ j* w i fy/ 64 f 7. if# L67 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\m\\\\\\\\\m\\\\\m\\ :nm/EN Toa ERNEST@ ViLLARREAL PANTazrA June 18, 1968 E. v. PANTOJA 3,388,679

GARBAGE INC INERATOR Filed Jan. 6, 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 iig; j'.

l :wsu-ron rsxlfwssmA VILLARREAL PANToJA June 18, 1968 E. v. PANTOJA GARBAGE INCINERATOR 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Jan. 6, 1967 INvENToR ERNESTO VILLARREAL PAA/ron,

Artes,

United States Patent O 3,388,679 GARBAGE INCHNERATDR Ernesto Villarreal Pantoja, Rio Nilo 23-A, Mexico City, Mexico Filed Jan. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 607,754 Claims priority, application Mexico, `lan. 14, 1966, 86,630; Jan. 2, 1967, 93,200 Claims. (Cl. 110-12) ABSTRACT OF THE DSCLOSURE A garbage incinerator comprising a unitary housing With double walls leaving a gap for introducing cool air by convection to cool the walls. A plurality of plates is provided within the enclosure arranged to allow the sweeping of the combustion gases through all the 4surface of the garbage. A plurality of ash separating chambers is placed on top of the plates and one or more hoods connect these chambers with the atmosphere, to absorb the gases which might escape through the doors of the incinerator. The chimney can be provided with inclined parallel baffles with their free ends overlapped to avoid the entrance of rain Water into the incinerator.

The present invention refers to the incineration of waste materials such as garbage, tankage and the like and, more particularly, it refers to a novel and improved incinerator which can be used both to incinerate garbage and the like, -and for melting metals in order to achieve the recovery thereof.

Heretofore, all the prior art incinerators show a large number of disadvantages which render most of them very inadequate to be installed in buildings where high quality standards or high purity in the ambient air are required, such as in hospitals, oflice buildings, apartment buildings and the like.

Among the more important drawbacks shown by the prior art garbage incinerators, it may be particularly noted that they show a very low efficiency, that is, the incinerator does not completely burn the garbage fed, as well as the fact that large proportions of incompletely burned garbage blow out from the chimney or draft, thus constituting a nuisance for neighbors because of the large proportions of solid materials and smoke exhausted.

On the other hand, the prior art incinerators must be built with highly resistant refractories which will eiciently work at very high temperatures since the walls of these incinerators are not cooled and therefore they tend to deform, and sometimes even to collapse so that the refractories must be completely replaced.

Also, the prior art incinerators must generally be located outside and far away from any building since they tend to produce large `amounts of gases which flow out of the incinerator through the charging doors and other similar sites, so the operators could be come intoxicated if the incinerator is enclosed within a building or closed room.

The prior art incinerators, on the other hand, are not provided with auxiliary devices to give efficient service to a building of several stories and there is a the need of manually transporting'the garbage from the upper floors to the incinerator place in order to pile said garbage adjacent to the incinerator, to thereafter gradually charge the gargabe in accordance with the capacity of the apparatus.

The performance of the burners used in all prior art incinerators is also very deficient since as a general rule the primary air fed to effect the combustion is not suitably controlled and strong drafts are formed causing whirling 3,388,679 Patented June 18, 1968 of the gases so that the burner cannot perform eiciently and also, if the draft fails at any moment, the llame can blow back with the consequent dangers produced thereby.

That applicant knows, none of the pior art incinerators are provided with eflicient means for reabsorbing the gases that are normally expelled through the charging doors of the incinerating chamber and therefore these gases also constitute an important nuisance to the surroundings.

Finally, it can be also mentioned that the prior art incinerators are not provided with an incinerating crate system having enough efficiency to offer the possibility of using all the heat of the combustion gases from the burner, to thereby completely burn or incinerate garbage without the slightest possibiiity of exhausting material proportions of unburned garbage through the chimney. Also, heretobefore no device to remove unburned garbage from the exit gases has been ever provided, so that the performance of all prior art incinerators can be considered as very inefiicient.

Having in mind the defects of the proir art incinerators, it is an object of the present invention to provide a unitary compact incinerator which can be enclosed within an enclosure without thereby causing important nuisance to the operator thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an incinerator of the Iabove mentioned character, which is provided with means for absorbing the gases which might eventually flow out through the garbage charging doors, in a very eficient and simple manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a garbage incinerator of the above mentioned character which will also have means for receiving and depositing in suitable chambers all the amounts of unburned garbage which could eventually flow out from the incinerating chambers.

A still further and more specific object of the present invention is to provide an incinerator of the above character, which will have a plurality of plates arranged such that the maximum utilization of heat from the combustion gases from the burner will be obtained without however exerting an entrainment action sufficient to entrain light waste products such as partially burned papers toward the chimney or draft.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an incinerator of the above mentioned character which also comprises means for regulating the primary air fed to the burner with the purpose of avoiding whirling of the gases which might preclude the eflicient performance of the burner.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an incinerator having facilities for the discharge of the garbage from the upper floors of a building, as well as from the ground oor, without the need of entering into the enclosure where the incinerator is installed.

Another and additional object of the present invention is to provide an incinerator having the above mentioned characteristics and also having highly eicient and economic means for maintaining relatively cool the walls thereof in order to avoid early damage of the refractory materials.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an incinerator having one or more incinerating chambers, as well as one or more unburned garbagereceiving chambers in order to obtain a nearly perfect incineration and to absolutely avoid the exhaustion of partially burned or unburned garbage through the chimney.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an incinerator of the above mentioned character which will additionally comprise means for melting relatively large amounts of waste metals such that metals from used cans and the like can be recovered, and which can also be used for the melting of metals such as bronze, brass and the like, and also having means for tapping said metals in order to furtherly use them for casting metal articles.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary partially broken-away perspective view of an enclosure wherein an incinerator built in accordance with the present invention is installed, and also illustrating in dotted lines the arrangement of the garbage deposit as well as the gas-sucking duct connected to the chimney;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational View of the incinerator and enclosure shown in FIG. 1, with the front wall and garbage deposit removed in order to show the primary air controlling dampers for the burner;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational cross sectional view, showing the arrangement of the incinerating plates and chambers and the garbage depositing chambers ofthe incinerating furnace built in accordance with the present invention, with the dotted lines illustrating the garbage feeding duct to receive garbage from upper oors of the building as well as the duct for sucking gases which might build up within the enclosure;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional front elevational view of the incinerator shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, clearly illustrating the arrangement of the plates and platforms as well as the air cooling chambers and chimney therefor;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional side elevational view of an incinerator built in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, incorporating an openhearth furnace section for the melting of metals;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional elevational view of still aother embodiment of the incinerator of the present invention, provided with slanting plates instead of horizontal dome-shaped plates;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the incinerator shown in FIG. 1, with a modified chimney for avoiding the entrance of rain water to the incinerating chalmbers, and with the burner in a backward position; an

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary detailed view of still another embodiment of a chimney for the incinerator of the invention.

Having now more particular reference to the drawings, there is shown an incinerator comprising an enclosure generally designated by the reference character 10 within which the incinerator 11 is installed, having a chimney or induced draft 12 projecting from the roof of the enclosure 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a garbage deposit 13 arranged at a convenient location within the enclosure, a small chimney 14 to exhaust the gases which might have been eventually built up within the enclosure 10, said small chimney being optionally connected by a duct to chimney 12 as shown in FIG. 1. The incinerator 11 is also provided with .a burner 15 mounted on a portable base 16 and with its gun introduced in the opening 28 (FIG. 2) of the incinerator. The opening 28 can be regulated by means of a pair of slidable dampers 17 yand 18 in order to regulate the amount of primary air fed to the burner. Also, the incinerator is provided with doors 19 and 20 for charging the garbage to be incinerated, and doors 21 and 22 for discharging partially burned or unburned garbage which might have passed upwardly from the incinerating chambers to be deposited on the garbage collecting chambers provided for that purpose as will be described in detail hereinbelow.

4 The incinerator of the presen-t invention, generally indicated by the reference number 11 in FIG. 1 of the drawings, is also provided with a hood 23 placed above the charging doors 19 and 20 and connected with the in-` opening thereof. The door 24 is directly placed above the l garbage deposit 13 in order that the garbage can be discharged by the mere pushing of the door 24 inwardly and the dumping of the container where the garbage is transported. Also, directly above the garbage deposit 13, a duct 26 is placed as illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 3, said duct extending adjacent one of the walls of a building of several oors, said duct 26 being provided with suitable windows to throw the garbage from any of the upper floors and lead it toward the garbage deposit 13 in order to provide convenience to the user.

The enclosure is generally provided with one or more windows 30 which can be spanned with window glasses, if desired, since due to the gas absorbing devices provided in the incinerator of the present invention, an open space is not required and the operator is not damaged by the escape of gases because the latter are very etliciently absorbed by the chimney draft 12 in order to be exhausted outwardly of the enclosure and dispersed throughout the surrounding atmosphere.

The incinerator of the present invention comprises a plurality of external walls, some of which form part of the enclosure 12, and which are indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4 by the reference characters 31, 32, 50, 64 and 66, and a plurality of inner Walls which form part of the incinerator of the present invention proper, and indicated in said figures by the reference characters 33, 34, and 67, respectively. Between the above mentioned inner and outer walls, there are provided a plurality of narrow air gaps or chambers which practically span all the area of said walls and which are indicated `by the reference characters 68, 70, 73, 76 and 79, said chambers con-` taining a predetermined amount of air and being provided with a plurality of lower openings such as openings 53, 74, 77 and 80, and a plurality of upper openings such as openings 54, 71, 75, 78 and 81 in order to provide an eicient circulation of cold air by natural convection so as to produce an air stream which ow rate will depend on the temperature of the above mentioned inner walls. The higher the temperature of said walls, the higher the draft produced and the larger the amount of air which will enter into the chambers to provide for the efficient cooling of the inner walls and to extend thc life of the refractory material used to build the incinerator of the present invention.

The openings communicating the air cooling chambers with the atmosphere can slop outwardly of the device in order to avoid the admission of rain water when the incinerator is located outside, though the above is not i strictly necessary for the good performance of the air circulating operation which they must carry out.

The above feature provides a distinctive advantage with respect to prior art incinerators, since by means of said plurality of air cooling chambers formed between the inner and the outer walls, and the plurality of lower and upper openings, communicating the thus formed chambers with the atmosphere, very large amounts of cold air are conveyed in order to maintain a reasonably low temperature at the inner walls of the incinerator, thus considerably extending the life thereof.

Between the inner walls, there are provided a plurality of plates, generally built of refractory material but which can be alternatively built of metal, for instance, iron or steel without thereby departing from the scope of the invention. It is generally preferred to build the incinerator of the present invention by providing at least two or three garbage incinerating chambers as illustrated in the preferred embodiment of the invention which is shown in the drawings, and it is preferred to provide a first plate 38 having a plurality of openings 57, spanning all the cross Isectional area of the incinerator, in order to form above the same a first garbage incinerating chamber designated by the reference number 86, and then a second plate 39 is provided extending from the front wall of the device backwardly to a predetermined distance from the rear wall thereof, to be continued at that end with a vertical plate 40 in order to form a second incinerating chamber 87 having thereabove a plate 41 extending from the rear wall of the device to a distance from the front wall and having a plurality of openings 60 through which the gases from the incinerating chamber S6 pass, previously entering said chamber through the openings of the horizontal plate 39 or through the openings of vertical plate 4t), as indicated at 59. The thus formed stream of air is provided to completely sweep the surface of the garbage which is being incinerated in order to maintain the most efficient combustion thereof.

Finally, above plate 41, a third incinerating chamber 88 is formed, bounded at its top by a iioor 43 and a curved wall 42 extends between floor 43 and plate 41 in order to provide a smooth and continuous iiow of combastion gases upwardly to pass through the opening 44 provided in the floor 43. A horizontal baie 45 is directly above opening 44 in order to provide a striking surface to force al1 solid materials entrained by the gases to be deposited on the tloor 43 within chamber 89 which therefore constitutes a rst chamber for the deposition of the partially burned or unburned garbage which might have been entrained by the combustion gases.

Chamber S9 is provided with a top floor 46 which also contains an opening 47 oppositely located with respect to opening 44 and also provided with a baffle directly thereabove in order to force the solid materials which might have still passed through chamber 89 entrained by the gases, to be deposited on oor 46. r1`his second unburned or partially burned garbage deposition chamber indicated by the reference number 90, directly communicates with the chimney or draft 12, whence the combustion gases iiow through windows 51 and 82 at the top thereof, which is covered by a baffle 52 in order to avoid the entrance of rain water.

The chimney can also adopt the form shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings. The duct 12 of the incinerator supports a chimney comprising a frusto-conical section 14 and a cylindrical section 15in having a reinforcing flange 107 at its top. Within the cylindrical section 106 there are provided two sloping batiies 108 and 109 separated from each other but with their free edges overlapping as shown, so as to provide a gap of not less than one half of the total cross sectional area of the cylindrical section 196.

A cleaning door 111 can be provided to close the opening 11i) in order to enable the cleaning of the baiiies 168 and 199 and the upper portion of the chimney. Alternatively, the baies 108 and 109 can be hinged to the section 106 by means of hinges 115 and 116, and suitable stops 117 and 118 can be provided to set the lower position of said baffles, thereby allowing the rotation of the baliles as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 8 to permit the cleaning of the chimney.

A water draining pipe 112 is connected to the lower baie 169 so as to discharge the rain water accumulated thereon, avoiding the entrance of water to the incinerator. A pipe 113 is also provided to carry said water to the drainage or to any other convenient place.

The first or combustion chamber is provided with an opening 28 which can be provided at the front of the incinerator as shown in FIG. 3, or at the rear as shown in FIG. 7, through which the gun 61 of the burner 15 is introduced in order to produce an efficient ame by the pumping action provided by the section 62 of the burner which is mounted on a portable base 16 provided with a plurality of wheels 63 to enable the displacement of the burner toward and away from the opening 28. A pair of baies 17 and 18 for controlling the primary air are arranged in front of opening 2S, in order to close it when needed and avoid a very energetic draft which might cause whirling of the gases thereby lowering the efficiency of the flame. These baffles 17 and 18 comprise another of the important features of the invention since it is by their use that the production of an efficient flame in the burner is.

obtained and also, when the draft decreases, the amounts of primary air fed to the flame can be regulated thereby avoiding an excessively quick burning of the garbage which might produce gases which generally ow outwardly of the charging doors of the incinerator of the present invention.

The first chamber 86 is also provided with a charging door 19 which comprises a protecting plate or shell 55 on its inner face in order to avoid damages caused by the heat, since even when a direct flame impinges over said door 19, this direct ame will be stopped by plate 55 thereby avoiding serious damages to the door 19.

On the other hand, the incinerating chambers 37 and 88 are provided, at the front of the incinerator, with a charging door 20, larger than door 19, and also with a protective shell 56, said doors providing for the charging of Vgarbage on plate 39 and on plate 41, thus forming a plurality of garbage combustion places which use the gases from the combustion of the garbage below, in order to obtain a maximum benefit from the combustion gases, not only from the burner but also from the garbage which is being simultaneously burned.

As above mentioned, the openings 59 of the vertical crate 4t) allow the gases to sweep over the entire load of garbage accommodated on crate 39, thereby achieving a perfect combustion thereof and avoiding the production of partially burned garbage which might flow to the top.

Chambers 89 and 90 are provided as garbage collecting chambers in order to store partially burned garbage which might eventually be entrained by the gases when the ldraft produced by chimney 12 is too strong. These chambers are also provided with doors 21 and 22 in order to allow the withdrawal of the garbage accumulated on tioors 43 and 46 as mentioned above.

Chamber 89, and if desired, also chamber 90, is provided with a hood 23 communicating with the interior of chamber 89 through opening 29, in order to communicate said hood 23 with the chimney draft 12 to suck-in any amount of gases which might have been exhausted through doors 20, either through the gaps between the door and the sash, or through all the opening when the doors are opened to charge the incinerator.

On the other hand, the incinerator of the present invention can also comprise a horizontal slit opened in any of the walls of chambers 89 or 90 in order to communicate the exterior of the incinerator with the chimney draft to thereby absorb the gases which might have been evolved through the charging doors of the incinerator.

As an additional protecting element, a small chimney 14 is provided, which comprises openings 84 and 85 through which the gases accumulated in the enclosure 10 can be exhausted and, if it is desirable to increase the efficiency of said chimney 14, then the latter is connected by means of a duct 27 to the main chimney 12 thereby creating a suiciently high draft to withdraw any amounts of gases which might have been exhausted from the incinerator and avoiding damages to the health of the operators.

The garbage deposit 13, on the other hand, is also a highly important feature of the present invention, together with duct 26 and damper 24, inasmuch as it allows the discharging of the garbage, either from the exterior of the enclosure at the lower door, or else from any of the upper oors of a building where the incinerator has been installed, in accordance `with the above.

While all the plates of the incinerator in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, have an arch-shaped contiguration as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, these plates can also adopt different shapes, such as illustrated in FIG. 6, wherein plates with an inverse arch are provided, accommodated in an inclined position in order to produce a zig-zag gas ow to obtain a more efficient combustion of the waste materials introduced into the incinerator.

As a further improvement of the incinerator of the present invention, there can be provided, instead of the lower chamber 86, an open hearth 96 having a cylindrical configuration and arranged with a slope extending downwardly toward the front. Within this open hearth there can be introduced metals to be molten, for instance, waste cans, or suitable mixtures for the production of predetermined alloys, said open hearth 96 being directly confronted with the burner 15 in order to receive a direct flame therefrom and produce a sutiiciently high temperature for melting the metals which are introduced therein. The open hearth 96 is provided with a plurality of slits 97 for providing a direct outlet of combustion gases therethrough, to then pass through openings 5S of crate 39 and continue their way up such as described with respect to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

On the other hand, the open hearth 96 is provided at its rear with a completely open slit forming a chamber indicated by the reference number 98, directly connected with the vertical plate 40 in order that the combustion gases flowing backwardly of the open hearth 96, will pass through the openings 59 of said plate 40, so as to sweep, as above mentioned, all of the garbage which is located on crate 39.

The open hearth 96 is provided with a lip 164, having an inclined form and with a descending duct S for discharging the molten metal on the lower chamber 35 of the incinerator (FIGS. 3 and 5), in this case having a slopping bottom 99, to produce a metal How leaving through a tap hole 100 to be discharged into a pot 161, for instance, in accordance with FIG. 5 of the drawings. This lower chamber 3S is also provided with a discharge door 102, protected by means of a batiie 33 as above described, in order to withdraw therefrom all that metal which has not been molten in the interior of chamber 35.

Chamber 35, when the incinerator is not provided with an open hearth, comprises a plurality of doors, such as doors 35 and 37 for ash discharge and in the particular case of the open hearth, said doors are replaced by discharge door 102 which is similar to the remaining discharge doors as above described.

It can be seen from the above that the present invention has provided a garbage incinerator having highly eicient performance and also capable of a large versatility since it can incinerate not only common garbage, but it also allows the eflicient disposal of .metal refuse such as cans and the like, by melting them and producing, for instance, ingots and other similar articles which can be furtherly used as raw materials for a metal foundry. This open hearth can also be used as a reverberatory furnace for the melting of metals such as bronze, aluminum, brass, and the like, in order to obtain an additional benefit from the use of the incinerator.

Although l have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, I am aware that many moditications thereof are possible. My invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

That which is claimed, as new, is:

1. An incinerator comprising a housing; a plurality of superimposed chambers within said housing, the floors CII of the lower chambers being formed by plates, some of which extend horizontally and some of which extend vertically within said housing, and the iioors of the upper chambers being solid except for an opening to let the gases pass through; a fuel burner having a gun entering through one of the walls of said housing above the lowermost plate; means in said upper chambers for suddenly changing the direction of flow of the gases to separate solid material therefrom; a plurality of charging and discharging doors on the walls of said housing; at least a hood above some of said doors and connected to the interior of one of said upper chambers to produce a draft to absorb the gases escaping from the doors; chimney means above said upper chambers, and a garbage depository adjacent said housing.

2. An incinerator according to claim 1, wherein said garbage deposit is placed within a room having dimensions suitable to also accommodate said housing; a rockable door on a wall of said room and directly above said deposit, and a vertical duct with its open lower end directly above said depository, said duct being suitable for giving service to a building several stories high.

3. An incinerator according to claim 1, wherein the walls of said housing each comprises two panel members parallelly arranged and leaving an air gap therebetween, so as to provide air chambers all around the incinerator, the outer of said panel members being provided with a plurality of bores near the lower end thereof and a plurality of bores near the upper end thereof, said bores communicating the said air gaps to the atmosphere so as to provide the circulation of cool air by the convection caused by the temperature differential between the ambient air and the air between said panels, thereby effectively cooling the inner panels which are subject to extremly high temperatures due to the combustion of garbage within said housing.

4. An incinerator according to claim 3, wherein said plates are arranged such that the lowermost crate spans the whole cross sectional area of said housing, and the remaining plates end at a distance from one of the walls of said housing, said remaining plates being arranged such that the free gap left between each plate and a wall of the incinerator will be at one end of the housing while l the free gap left by the succeeding plate will be located on the opposite end thereof so as to form a zig-zag path for the combustion gases owing upwardly of the incinerator.

5. An incinerator according to claim 4, wherein a vertical plate is arranged between a pair of horizontal plates to avoid the falling of garbage from one plate to the other and to thereby provide for a horizontal sweeping of the garbage by the combustiongases to achieve the maximum degree of incineration thereof.

6. An incinerator according to claim 2, wherein said room is provided with an additional chimney connected to said chimney means in order to establish a draft to extract the gases which might eventually build up within said room.

7. An incinerator according to claim 1,` wherein the gun of said burner enters through a cylindrical bore open in any of the walls of said housing, and a pair of slidable plates are provided in front of the opening of said bore so as to regulate the amount of primary air admitted through said bore.

8. An incinerator according to claim 1, wherein said charging and discharging doors are provided with protective shields formed by refractory plates parallel to the main body of the door, so as to avoid damage to said doors by the heat developed in the chambers.

9. An incinerator according to claim 1, wherein one of said lower chambers is a cylindrical chamber sloping toward one of its ends and having a solid door, so as to provide for the charging of scrap metals thereunto in order to melt said metals and recover them from the scrap,

Between the inner walls, there are provided a plurality of plates, generally built of refractory material but which can be alternatively built of metal, for instance, iron or steel without thereby departing from the scope of the invention. It is generally preferred to build the incinerator of the present invention by providing at least two or three garbage incinerating chambers as illustrated in the preferred embodiment of the invention which is shown in the drawings, and it is preferred to provide a first plate 38 having a plurality of openings 57, spanning all the cross sectional area of the incinerator, in order to form above the same a lirst garbage incinerating chamber designated by the reference number 86, and then a second plate 39 is provided extending from the front wall of the device backwardly to a predetermined distance from the rear wall thereof, to be continued at that end with a vertical plate tti in order to form a second incinerating chamber 87 having thereabove a plate 41 extending from the rear wall of the device to a distance from the front wall and having a plurality of openings 69 through which garbage which is being incinerated in order to maintain the most efficient combustion thereof.

Finally, above plate 41, a third incinerating chamber SS is formed, bounded at its top by a floor i3 and a curved wall 42 extends between floor 43 and plate 41 in order to provide a smooth and continuous flow of combustion gases upwardly to pass through the opening 44 provided in the floor 43. A horizontal baiile 45 is directly above opening 44 in order to provide a striking surface to force all solid materials entrained by the gases to be deposited on the oor i3 within chamber 89 which therefore constitutes a iirst chamber for the deposition of the partially burned or unburned garbage which might have been entrained by the combustion gases.

Chamber 89 is provided with a top floor 46 which also contains an opening 47 oppositely located with respect to opening 44 and also provided with a baille directly thereabove in order to force the solid materials which might have still passed through chamber 89 entrained by the gases, to be deposited on floor 46. This second unburned or partially burned garbage deposition chamber indicated by the reference number 9i?, directly communicates with the chimney or draft 12, whence the combustion gases flow through windows 51 and 82 at the top thereof, which is coveredrby a baille 52 in order to avoid the entrance of rain water.

The chimney can also adopt the form shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings. The duct 12 of the incinerator supports a chimney comprising a frusto-conical Isection 114- and a cylindrical section 106 having a reinforcing ange 167 at its top. Within the cylindrical section 166 there are provided two sloping baffles 1%3 and 199 separated from each other but with their free edges overlapping as shown, so as to provide a gap of not less than one half of the total cross sectional area of the cylindrical section 196.

A cleaning door 111 can be provided to close the opening 11i) in order to enable the cleaning of the baies 108 and 169 and the upper portion of the chimney. Alternatively, the baflies 168 and 109 can be hinged to the section 196 by means of hinges 11S and 116, and suitable stops 117 and 11S can be provided to set the lower position of said bai'lies, thereby allowing the rotation of the baffles as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 8 to permit the cleaning of the chimney.

A water draining pipe 112 is connected to the lower bale 109 so as to discharge the rain water accumulated thereon, avoiding the entrance of water to the incinerator. A pipe 113 is also provided to carry said water to the drainage or to any other convenient place.

The lirst or combustion chamber is provided with an opening 28 which can be provided at the front of the incinerator as shown in FIG. 3, or at the rear as shown in FIG. 7, through which the gun 61 of the burner 15 is introduced in order to produce an eliicient iiame by the pumping action provided by the section 62 of the burner which is mounted on a portable base 16 provided with a plurality of wheels 63 t0 enable the displacement of the burner toward and away from the opening 28. A pair of barlles 17 and 18 for controlling the vprimary air are arranged in front of opening 23, in order to close it when needed and avoid a very energetic draft which might cause whirling of the gases thereby lowering the efficiency of the flame. These baliles 17 and 18 comprise another of the important features of the invention since it is by their use that the production of an eliicient flame in the burner is obtained and also, when the draft decreases, the amounts of primary air fed to the arne can be regulated thereby avoiding an excessively quick burning of the garbage which might produce gases which generally iiow outwardly of the charging doors of the incinerator of the present invention.

The first chamber S6 is also provided with a charging door 19 which comprises a protecting plate or shell 55 on its inner face in order to avoid damages caused by the heat, since even when a direct flame impinges over said door 19, this direct ame will be stopped by plate 55 thereby avoiding serious damages to the door 19.

On the other hand, the incinerating chambers 87 and 3S are provided, at the front of the incinerator, with a charging door 20, larger than door 19, and also with a protective shell 56, said doors providing for the charging of garbage on plate 39 and on plate 41, thus forming a plurality of garbage combustion places which use the gases from the combustion of the garbage below, in order to obtain a maximum beneiit from the combustion gases, not only from the burner but also from the garbage which is being simultaneously burned.

As above mentioned, the openings 59 of the vertical crate 40 allow the gases to sweep over the entire load of garbage accommodated on crate 39, thereby achieving a perfect combustion thereof and avoiding the production of partially burned garbage which might ow to the top.

Chambers 89 and 90 are provided as garbage collecting chambers in order to store partially burned garbage which might eventually be entrained by the gases when the `draft produced by chimney 12` is too strong. These chambers are also provided with doors 21 and 22 in order to allow the withdrawal of the garbage accumulated on iloors 43 and 46 as mentioned above.

Chamber 89, and if desired, also chamber 90, is provided with a hood 23 communicating with the interior of chamber 89 through opening 29, in order to communicate said hood 23 with the chimney draft 12 to suck-in any amount of gases which might have been exhausted through doors 20, either through the gaps between the door and the sash, or through all the opening when the doors are opened to charge the incinerator.

On the other hand, the incinerator of the present invention can also comprise a horizontal slit opened in any of the walls of chambers S9 or 90 in order to communicate the exterior of the incinerator with the chimney draft to thereby absorb the gases which might have been evolved through the charging doors of the incinerator.

As an additional protecting element, a small chimney 14 is provided, which comprises openings 84 and 85 through which the gases accumulated in the enclosure 10 can be exhausted and, if it is desirable to increase the eliciency of said chimney 14, then the latter is connected by means of a duct 27 to the main -chimney 12 thereby creating a suiiiciently high draft to withdraw any amounts of gases which might have been exhausted from the incinerator and avoiding damages to the health of the operators.

The garbage deposit 13, on the other hand, is also a highly important feature of the present invention, together with duct 26 and damper 24, inasmuch as it allows the discharging of the garbage, either from the exterior of the enclosure at the lower floor, or else from any of the upper fioors of a building where the incinerator has been installed, in accordance with the above.

While all the plates of the incinerator in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, have an arch-shaped configuration as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, these plates can also adopt different shapes, such as illustrated in FIG. 6, wherein plates with an inverse arch are provided, accommodated in an inclined position in order to produce a zig-zag gas dow to obtain a more eliicient combustion of the waste materials introduced into the incinerator.

As a further improvement of the incinerator of the present invention, there can 4be provided, instead of the lower chamber 86, an open hearth 96 having a cylindrical configuration and arranged with a slope extending downwardly toward the front. Within this open hearth there can be introduced metals to be molten, for instance, waste cans, or suitable mixtures for the production of predetermined alloys, said open hearth 96 being directly confronted with the burner in order to receive a direct ame therefrom and produce a sufficiently high temperature for melting the metals which are introduced therein. The open hearth 96 is provided with a plurality of slits 97 for providing a direct outlet of combustion gases therethrough, to then pass through openings 58 of crate 39 and continue their Way up such as described with respect to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

On the other hand, the open hearth 96 is provided at its rear with a completely open slit forming a chamber indicated by the reference number 98, directly connected with the vertical plate 40 in order that the combustion gases tiowing backwardly of the open hearth 96, will pass through the openings 59 of said plate 40, so as to sweep, as above mentioned, all of the garbage which is located on crate 39.

The open hearth 96 is provided with a lip 164, having an inclined form and with a descending duct 195 for discharging the molten metal on the lower chamber 3S of the incinerator (FIGS. 3 and 5), in this case having a slopping bottom .99, to produce a metal flow leaving through a tap hole 100 to be discharged into a pot 101, for instance, in accordance with FIG. 5 of the drawings. This lower chamber 35 is also provided with a discharge door 102, protected by means of a battle 33 as above described, in order to withdraw therefrom all that metal which has not been molten in the interior of chamber 35.

Chamber 35, when the incinerator is not provided with an open hearth, comprises a plurality of doors, such as doors 3S and 37 for ash discharge and in the particular case of the open hearth, said doors are replaced by discharge door 102 which is similar to the remaining discharge doors as above described.

It can be seen from the above that the present invention has provided a garbage incinerator having highly etiicient performance and also capable of a large versatility since it can incinerate not only common garbage, but it also allows the eicient disposal of metal refuse such as cans and the like, by melting them and producing, for instance, ingots and other similar articles which can be furtherly used as raw materials for a metal foundry. This open hearth can also be used as a reverberatory furnace for the melting of metals such as bronze, aluminum, brass, and the like, in order to obtain an additional benefit from the use of the incinerator.

Although I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, I am aware that many` modifications thereof are possible. My invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

That which is claimed, as new, is:

1. An incinerator comprising a housing; a plurality of superimposed chambers within said housing, the floors of the lower chambers being formed by plates, some of which extend horizontally and some of which extend ver" tically within said housing, and the iioors of the upper chambers being solid except for an opening to let the gases pass through; a fuel burner having a gun entering through one of the walls of said housing above the lowern most plate; means in said upper chambers for suddenly changing the direction of ow of the gases to separate solid material therefrom; a plurality of charging and discharging doors on the walls of said housing; at least a hood above some of said doors and connected to the interior of one of said upper chambers to produce a draft to absorb the gases escaping from the doors; chimney means above said upper chambers, and a garbage depository adjacent said housing.

2. An incinerator according to claim 1, wherein said garbage deposit is placed within a room having dimensions suitable to also accommodate said housing; a rockable door on a wall of said room and directly above said deposit, and a vertical duct with its open lower end directly above said depository, said duct being suitable for giving service to a building several stories high.

3. An incinerator according to claim 1, wherein the walls of said housing each. comprises two panel members parallelly arranged and leaving an air gap therebetween, so as to provide air chambers all around the incinerator, the outer of said panel members being provided with a plurality of bores near the lower end thereof and a plurality of bores near the upper end thereof, said bores communicating the said air gaps to the atmosphere so as to provide the circulation of cool air by the convection caused by the temperature differential between the ambient air and the air between said panels, thereby effectively cooling the inner panels which are subject to extremly high temperatures due to the combustion of garbage within said housing.

4. An incinerator according to claim 3, wherein said plates are arranged such that the lowermost crate spans the whole cross sectional area of said housing, and the remaining plates end at a distance from one of the Walls of said housing, said remaining plates being arranged such that the free gap left between each plate and a wall of the incinerator will be at one end of the housing while the free gap left by the succeeding plate will be located on the opposite end thereof so as to form a zig-zag path for the combustion gases iiowing upwardly of the incinerator.

5. An incinerator according to claim 4, wherein a vertical plate is arranged between a pair of horizontalplates to avoid the falling of garbage from one plate to the slidable plates are provided in front of the opening of said bore so as to regulate the amount of primary air admitted through said bore.

S. An incinerator according to claim 1, wherein said charging and discharging doors are provided with protech tive shields formed by refractory plates parallel to the main body of the door, so as to avoid damage to said doors by the heat developed in the chambers.

9. An incinerator according to claim 1, wherein one of said lower chambers is a cylindrical chamber sloping toward one of its ends and having a solid door, so as to provide for the charging of scrap metals thereunto in order to melt said metals and recover them from the scrap,

said burner being located such that its llame will directly impinge on said metal scrap.

10. An incincrator according to claim 1, wherein said chimney means is provided with a pair of bales located one above the other at a distance such that they will not obstruct the passage of the gases therethrough and with their ends overlapped so as to avoid the entrance of rain water into the incinerator, the lower of said battles having a pipe leading to the drainage in order to drain the Water eventually accumulated thereon.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Smith 110-8 Patitz et al 110-12 Williamson 110-17 Fiegenbaum 110-18 Dowse 110-18 0 JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. 

